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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30132330">Of Gods and Men</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/leopia/pseuds/leopia'>leopia</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Of Gods and Men [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types, DC Extended Universe, DCU, DCU (Comics), Wonder Woman - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Batdad, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Developing Relationship, F/M, Friendship, Paris (City), Past Character Death, Past Relationship(s), Slow Burn, Wonderbat, mention of batcat (past)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:49:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,641</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30132330</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/leopia/pseuds/leopia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>While in Paris doing a favor for one of his (many) sons, Bruce Wayne discovers something strange and seeks the help of Diana Prince.</p><p>First chapter in a long, far-arching story featuring my personal DC universe, a chaotic amalgamation of the DCEU, DCU, and DCAU.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Batman &amp; Dick Grayson (Nightwing), Diana Prince/Bruce Wayne, Wonder Woman/Batman</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Of Gods and Men [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2217675</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>94</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Of Gods and Men</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>This wasn’t on tonight’s agenda.</p><p>His breath was a cool cloud in the night air as he sighed, staring down at the mess he’d found. This wasn’t the plan at all.</p><p>The evening had started with cocktails and caviar at the Le Pré Catelan. Everything was as it should be as the ever so easy-breezy Bruce Wayne swapped pleasantries with the Parisian elite at some notable gala. He couldn’t care to remember what they were all for; he was there to gather information only, to keep a keen pair of eyes on a certain priest.</p><p>Nightwing had tipped him off on Father Marquet’s increasingly frequent travel between Bludhaven and Paris. Frequent might have been putting it lightly when the man had been jumping on planes nearly every other day. His rendezvous in the City of Lights connected him to another of Dick’s investigations, and Bruce owed his first son a favor or two; this was easy.</p><p>But the Batman wasn’t supposed to be in Paris, especially not after Bruce Wayne had already made his appearance known. He couldn’t afford to be spotted here. His body clung to the shadows of the ancient architecture almost instinctively, melting into the darkness like a second skin. He stood over the unconscious body of the priest he had been scouting with consternation creasing his cowl.</p><p>“So,” Dick’s voice chimed in through the comlink embedded in his mask. “We may have a problem…”</p><p>“Make it two problems,” Bruce replied dryly as he bent to check the pulse of the elderly clergyman. Father Marquet was scraped up along his face and hands from the concrete and bruised from some impact, but beyond that, the Bat couldn’t surmise if he had a concussion, or if he’d broken any bones from the fall.</p><p>“What?” Dick squawked. “What’s your problem? We can’t both have problems.”</p><p>“Never mind. What’s wrong?” He looked up, surveying the alleyway to ensure nothing and no one had seen him or the priest lying on the ground.</p><p>“Turns out we’re not the only ones with eyes on Marquet.” Bruce picked through the man’s pockets as Dick spoke. “The tracer you planted on him earlier this evening was catching interference from at least one other signal.”</p><p>“A boss?” Batman squinted his eyes behind the lenses of his vizard as he flicked through the priest’s wallet. His identification, credit cards, and cash were all untouched. Not a simple mugging, then. When was it ever simple? He sighed and prepared to lift the body, crossing one arm over the other.</p><p>That’s when he noticed the small, faded tattoo on his forearm.</p><p>Bruce paused.</p><p>He gently slid the other’s sleeve up, revealing the strange sigil for further inspection. He snapped some photos through his lenses, ran them through the code encrypted in the Batsuit. Nothing matched the alien-looking crest.</p><p>“Maybe,” Dick pondered through the earpiece. “I was thinking more along the lines of the mob or something. I ran some more intense ID software while you were galavanting; for a man of the cloth, the guy’s frickin’ loaded. He’s gotta have connections.”</p><p>“If he owed somebody money, my problem isn’t adding up with yours.” The Batman grunted as he hoisted the priest into his arms and over his shoulder. “Maybe a gang.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“I just found Marquet unconscious in an alley. He’s got at least a few hundred in cash. I thought the men he’d left with looked suspicious, but it’s Paris… I was hoping it was nothing.”</p><p>“When is it ever nothing?” Dick quipped.</p><p>“I need to get him to a hospital. Take a look at the photos I just sent you. See if you can find anything that matches that symbol.”</p><p>“One more thing,” Dick rushed, and Bruce could hear him typing through the line as he received the pictures.</p><p>“What else?” Bruce asked gruffly, shifting his weight uneasily.</p><p>“Are you going to go see her?”</p><p>❧</p><p>Heels clicked against the marble floors in a slow, thoughtful stride. The woman wearing them paced back and forth, carefully admiring the work towering above her. The terracotta statue in the center of the room was the museum’s most recent arrival and Diana Prince’s new fixation.</p><p>She tapped a pencil against her lips as she pondered the art and its history; whose hands carefully chiseled the stone, where had it once stood, what temple was devoted to her. How many stories had her supercilious eyes witnessed? She could have been a number of the Greco-Roman goddesses, or perhaps older; most of the detail had worn with time, and her limbs had broken away long ago. There was just something… otherworldly about her.</p><p>A knock on the door interrupted her studies. Diana turned her attention to the other side of the room, where a thin young man awkwardly peeked in. “Miss Prince? You… have a visitor.” His voice was too soft, but her enhanced senses didn’t struggle to hear him.</p><p>Her brow raised slightly at the intern before she gently waved her hand in the air. “Thank you, send them in.” She set her pencil and clipboard down, exchanging them for a cooled cup of coffee, lifting it to her pursed lips. She leaned against the edge of the rosewood desk and shifted through some loose papers.</p><p>She almost choked on her lukewarm drink when her eyes met the man who appeared in the doorway. “Bruce?” She blinked in disbelief.</p><p>“Diana.” His voice managed to be gruff yet gentle simultaneously, his steps echoing against the floor. Warm morning light filtered in through the windows on the far wall, casting long shadows across his face as she watched him.</p><p>Her smile was warm as he reached for her hand and brought it to his lips in a cordial kiss. “You look stunning as ever, Princess. It’s been too long.” He wasn’t wrong. They hadn’t seen each other in months, hadn’t joined up on any League missions for almost a year. She hadn’t seen him face-to-face since the funeral… </p><p>She breathed sharply and in one fluid movement, pulled him into a hug. </p><p>Bruce tensed, surprised at first. Then, eased into her, fondly remembering how generous Diana had always been with her affection. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and they stood like this for a beat. His brow furrowed and his crystal blue eyes closed tightly as he tried not to dwell too much on their last meeting.</p><p>“How are you, αγαπητή καρδιά?” She spoke into his shoulder, before pulling away from him slightly, studying his face. “What are you doing in Paris?”</p><p>The man took a step back. “Good. I’m good.” He lied, and couldn’t help but notice the knowing look she gave him. He brushed it off with a halfhearted smile. “As much as I’d like to say I’m only here to visit an old friend, I was actually hoping to ask a favor.”</p><p>“Anything,” Diana nodded earnestly, straightening as he pulled something from the pocket of his suit coat. He placed a small USB hard drive in her palm. She turned it over, noting the bat-symbol engraved on the side, and deflated ever so slightly.</p><p>“I’m in need of your expertise,” he pressed hopefully.</p><p>“Must be important if it managed to pull the Bat out of Gotham,” she commented cooly, reaching across the desk for her laptop. She popped the hard drive into the side of the computer, glancing at him briefly. He met her dark eyes with a toothy smile, falling into the charming persona of Bruce Wayne out of notorious habit.</p><p>“Maybe I wanted to see you.”</p><p>Diana smiled wryly. “If that were true you would have come months ago.” Her voice was a playful purr, but it couldn’t disguise the pain laced within the truth of her words. She focused on the screen. Bruce let his gaze scour the room. Neither acknowledged the distance that had suddenly sprouted between them, though they hadn’t moved.</p><p>“She’s beautiful,” Bruce mused delicately, after some quiet.</p><p>“Yes,” Diana agreed, looking up to the statue he was studying. “She’s our newest arrival. It’s been all over the news; a new masterpiece. I haven’t quite placed her name.”</p><p>“Hmm. I’m sure you’ll win her over eventually,” he encouraged, and Diana was reminded how often he so readily offered such support; he could be cold when he wanted to be, there was no doubt about that, but they frequently found themselves in situations where one was uplifting the other.</p><p>“I hope so.” The woman said breathily, before asking: “What is this?” Her brow twitched slightly as she studied the photos on the screen. She didn’t flinch as Bruce stepped closer and leaned against the desk beside her, just a little too close.</p><p>“An interesting tattoo I found on an unfortunate friend. He’s fine,” he assured when she glanced up at him with questions dancing behind her eyes. He looked down, fussing with the crisply ironed cuffs of his suit as he continued. “I was hoping you might know the symbol?”</p><p>Diana zoomed in on one of the images, studying the mark a bit more intently. “It’s… strange,” she nodded. “Nothing I recognize off the top of my head, but… I can do a bit of digging.” </p><p>The Amazon set the computer in his lap and straightened, walking over to a bookshelf on the east wall. “Perhaps we could get a cup of coffee and discuss it? There’s this little cafe down the street--”</p><p>“I’d love to,” He interrupted sullenly, setting the laptop on her desk, “but I have a luncheon I need to get ready for.” His smile was half-hearted, but he held her gaze intensely as he covered the distance between them. “I’ll be in Paris for the next few days, though. Keep in touch?”</p><p>She nodded, taking his hand in hers and squeezing his fingers gently. “It was good to see you, Bruce.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading!! I haven't written (let alone posted) a DCU fanfic in a LOONNGG time - I still love these characters asdfghjkl</p><p>Comments are welcome ♡ Check out my tumblr for more of my very self-indulgent dcu headcanon - https://dcemmaverse.tumblr.com/</p><p>translations:<br/>αγαπητή καρδιά - "dear heart"</p></blockquote></div></div>
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